I Samual 5-7

“If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and … direct your heart to the LORD” (7:3). Samuel wanted the Israelites to understand that they could not “possess” the ark of the covenant; it only carried blessing if they were serving God. The Israelites’ sinfulness (especially their leaders) had caused them to lose the ark, and then the Philistines who captured it ended up with a plague of tumors (ch 5). The message was clear: God’s power was not under human control.

“Direct your heart to the Lord” (7:3).  As our hearts are captured and transformed by Jesus, His power works through us to build His kingdom, not our own.